Take My Hand
by propinatio
Summary: SwanQueenWeek prompt: Divorced lesbian mothers. Emma hates looking back at the past and all the mistakes that come with it, but what can she do when someone who broke her is there with a helping hand?


Divorced Lesbian Mothers AU for SwanQueenWeek

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Regina stared at the ceiling as her mind tried to regain some sense of clarity as she sighed heavily, "This shouldn't have happened."

"You weren't say that a second ago." Emma said flopping back on the bed with a tired smile.

"Emma…"

Emma sighed running a hand through her hair. "No, I get. We're over." She said moving to sit on the edge of the bed that used to be theirs with her back to Regina.

"It's not that it wasn't good. It's ju-"

"Just not enough. It was never enough." Emma said. She pushed herself up from the bed and began to gather her clothes from the floor. "I'll just have a shower then leave. You'll forget I was even here."

"I-I don't want to." Regina whispered quietly. Emma turned and Regina was finally able to see the eyes she'd lost herself in so many times fighting valiantly against tears threatening to fall.

"Want to what?" Emma asked brokenly as she fell on the foot of the bed. "We've been through this before. I tried so hard to understand you and it still wasn't enough. Don't give me hope when there is none." She whispered afraid to speak any louder for fear of letting Regina hear the cracks in her voice.

"We can try again." Regina said feeling her own eyes filling as she moved down the bed to cup Emma's cheeks. "We can try."

Emma's face fell into a sad smile as the first of many tears escaped, "We already did. I don't know if I can let you break me again."

"I won't break you. I promise, Emma. I'll fix you. I'll put you together again, with Henry. We'll be a family." Regina urged wiping the steady flow from Emma's cheeks. "Trust me."

Regina waited as Emma's eyes roved her face looking for something that would seal the deal. Emma's hand came up to rest upon Regina's as she leant into her palm and closed her eyes.

"I trusted you once." Regina held back the sob at Emma's resignation. "I can't put myself through that again." She pulled away from Regina and began sliding on her jeans.

"I was stupid, Emma. I was an idiot for doing what I did. And I am so sorry." Regina reached out for Emma as the blonde pulled her tank top on and turned back to her ex kneeling on the rumpled sheets. She walked up to Regina and held her face gently in her hands.

"I know you're sorry. And I know that this hurts. But you hurt me, Regina. You promised all to me. I knew you had troubles – hell, so did I – but we made it through most of them." Emma closed her eyes and leant her forehead on Regina's. "When you met me I was nothing, but you showed me that I was something, that I was special. Then you cheated on me, Regina. You found someone else and you showed me what I always knew: that I wasn't enough. I wasn't enough for my real parents, or for any foster parents, or for you."

Regina sobbed, "I'm so sorry." Her eyes closing when Emma kissed her cheeks and her hands grasping Emma's shoulder hoping to keep her there.

"I know." Emma whispered with an aching finality as she turned and left the room that was no longer hers.

Emma stopped outside the door, her heart racing in her chest wanting her to go back inside and comfort the love of her life, to tell her it was okay – even though it wasn't – to give her another chance. But she didn't.

Instead she leant back against the door and tried to get her emotions under control. It was amazing how Regina still managed to make her feel more than she wanted, even after all the shit they'd been through.

She knew from the moment they met Regina was out of her league. She knew from the moment that elegant hand had been extended to help her up that she would never want to let it go. The students had continued to bustle erratically in the hallway ignorant of the moment being shared by the two girls who had shared shy smiles then their names. Names neither would forget, names that would be said in jest, in love, in lust.

Now all that remained was despair.

When Regina had called her up, asking to come to dinner with her and Henry so they could discuss the upcoming school camping trip she had strictly told herself to stay on task, to stay focused. That focus had wavered with every refill of cider Regina sent her way.

Then Henry had trudged up to bed, leaving the to women alone in the lounge with a half full carafe of cider and the space between them had dwindled over a period of minutes until Regina sat upon Emma's lap kissing her like she had all those years ago in the dark corner of the school library.

Emma was dazed when Regina had pulled back and slid off her lap, then there was that hand. The same one that had pulled her up when she was down, the same one she'd squeezed tightly and never let go of on their wedding day, the same one that had been inside of anther woman while Emma had been working. Even with all the bad connotations that hand conveyed she still grasped it, letting Regina pull her up from the depths of the couch – and unknowingly the depths of depression Emma had been so close to giving into – and toward the bedroom.

Emma knew this _couldn't_ happen again. But it would. She would keep coming back, only to be hurt time and time again. Because that's what love did to her apparently.

That's what loving Regina – the woman her friends had taken to calling The Evil Queen due to her actions of taking Emma's heart and crushing it – did to her.

With another heavy sigh Emma finally pushed herself from the door, blocking out the sobs on the other side, and moving down the hallway. She gently pushed Henry's door open and watched him sleep peacefully.

She heard the opening of a door and the padding of feet upon carpet but never took her eyes from the sight of her son. She felt Regina's presence – intense and overwhelming - behind her.

"At least we did something right, huh?" She asked quietly nodding toward the boy that seemed happy enough living two lives.

"He'll always be our son." Regina answered with a raspy voice, still filled with a softness she rarely showed anyone. Emma hummed in agreement before pushing away from the doorframe and moving to the stairs. "Emma."

She stopped on the first step as Regina moved behind her. "Stay."

"I can't."

"Please. It's late. Just stay."

"I can't." Emma whispered finally turning around with a heart-breaking smile. "If I do then I won't want to leave."

"Then don't." Regina said extending her hand out toward Emma once more. Emma felt her emotions warring against the want – the need – to take that hand once more in her won.

"Take my hand, Emma."

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**AN:** Did not originally plan for it to turn out this angsty. I wanted fluff :( What is wrong with me?

Anyway, hope you liked it. Even with all the drama and the cliffhanger. (I'm horrible, but I love it)

Once again you know the drill, review and tell me what you think.


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